“Hmm? What about the third one?”
Seeing Epunia suddenly pause, hesitating to speak, Violet couldn’t help urging him.
“The third characteristic... I haven’t personally experienced it because my abilities are not enough to make the 【Southern Calamity】 reveal that aspect.”
The guild leader seemed somewhat hesitant.
“However, I happened to come across it in an ancient manuscript that recorded the legend of the ‘Four Calamities.’ This special creature, the 【Illusionary Cloud】, is probably not generated out of thin air. Even if it can proliferate through parasitism, there must be a source.”
“What does it mean?”
Violet was a bit puzzled about what this guy was trying to express. Could it be that there was some kind of weakness, like a “core,” in the 【Illusionary Cloud】?
“Well... what I’m about to say can be taken as a reference, but don’t take it as absolute truth, because I can’t guarantee the accuracy of this information.”
Epunia paused slightly, as if recalling.
“Three hundred years ago, the mythical creatures had not disappeared as they are now. According to that book, there was once a mythical and great being who came to the extreme south, an unreachable land. Unable to bear the suffering of living beings here under the 【Southern Calamity】, he intervened. With great power, he gathered the seemingly endless 【Calamity】 into a vast cloud and burned them to ashes with the fire of the heavens.”
“It is said that this is the origin of the name 【Illusionary Cloud】. Before that, it was simply called 【Southern Calamity】. After that battle, the 【Southern Calamity】 did not manifest for nearly ten years, and everyone thought that it had been completely eliminated...”
At this point, Violet could already guess the subsequent development.
“So later, for some reason, the 【Illusionary Cloud】 reappeared, but the being that dealt with it before, for various reasons, couldn’t come to eliminate it again, until today?”
Epunia nodded.
“That’s about right. So, I speculate that the 【Illusionary Cloud】actually has a hidden source. If we can’t figure this out, even if we manage to completely obliterate it, it’s just addressing the symptoms and not the root cause. I call this characteristic ‘Immortality.'”
This characteristic... for Violet, it didn’t really matter.
The 【Southern Calamity】 didn’t steal her family’s rice, and Violet wasn’t adamant about exterminating it. It just happened to block the way, and the priestess was idle and curious, prompting her to come out and investigate.
But since she had luckily obtained information, it would be a shame not to thoroughly understand it at once.
The characteristics of 【Illusion】, 【Infinite】, and 【Immortality】 do pose some challenges. Based on the descriptions, it seems that even if Violet wants to completely eradicate this thing, it would require some effort. Moreover, she currently doesn’t have a clear understanding of the true strength of the Illusionary Cloud.
Taking Epunia as a reference, the fluctuation range is really too large. Violet is curious about the true level of strength of that so-called “mythical being” from back then. It’s a bit strange that many significant events seem to have occurred around the three-hundred-year mark. The epic battle between the Black Bird and the Red Dragon in the Fallen Dragon Valley, Aphra’s rebellion with the 【Cocoon of Blasphemy】 against the Blood Clan, the construction of the prison layers in the Courage City, and so on—all happened around three hundred years ago.
Now, this special existence that once eradicated the 【Southern Calamity】 is appearing around the same time. Once or twice could be a coincidence, but with such frequency, what happened during that period...
Although she’s curious, now is not the time to delve into the details of these connections. The current main goal is still the Southern Calamity.
Violet remains silent, patiently waiting for Epunia to continue. She is certain that Epunia has a motive for initiating this conversation, and it likely has something to do with the Illusory Cloud.
Sure enough, he continues.
“I have a preliminary sense of your strength. Although stronger than that incompetent Battle Maniac from before, it’s still not enough...”
As if determined, Epunia clenches his teeth.
“If you can demonstrate even greater power, proving that you have the strength to confront the Southern Calamity, I am willing to risk my life to guide you to find it. I know the method, and I even have some speculations about the source of that 【Immortality】 characteristic.”
“Oh?”
This is... a clue that has fallen into their laps.
Epunia, after all, is someone who once escaped from the Southern Calamity. If he is willing to help, it could save a lot of effort.
Thinking about it, the priestess smiled and leisurely took a bite of her food.
“How do you want to prove it? Just to be clear, I won’t do anything too troublesome.”
“Good! Straightforward, I like Miss Violet’s personality. Honestly, to confront the Illusionary Cloud, sheer physical strength is meaningless. You must have targeted power against it...”
“A little offensive.”
After the reminder, Epunia opens the tightly wrapped coat around his chest, revealing what’s underneath to the girls.
“My goodness, by the grace of the goddess!”
“This is...!”
Edwina and Leila, who were silently observing, both let out a low exclamation.
On the well-toned chest of this half-beast, there is actually a dark gray vertical pupil!
It looks a bit like a tattoo, but it is entirely different, most notably because this thing... is alive!
The patterns that seem to be drawn on the surface of the skin are actually moving on their own, immediately locking eyes with the black-haired girl right in front of them!
Madness, loneliness, deathly silence—countless negative emotions, like an indescribable spiritual contamination, rushed towards Violet as if in a tidal wave. An ordinary person would likely fall into madness and fear if they maintained eye contact for more than a few seconds.
No wonder Epunia wrapped it up.
What’s most peculiar is that from the depths of this mindless madness, the priestess somehow sensed a subtle feeling of being observed.
This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
There’s something observing her through those insane eyes.
Similar yet different, mindless yet rational.
“Hmph!”
Seated beside Violet, the little dragon girl also felt this gaze. Her golden eyes seemed to take on a diamond-like brilliance as she glared fiercely at the gray vertical eye.
Crack—
In a sound that’s difficult to describe with words, the sensation of being watched dissipated entirely. Only Violet and the Dragon were capable of hearing this sound.
“Surveillance magic... or a projection?”
The priestess, contemplative, shifted her gaze away from the mysterious vertical eye, now devoid of anything but silence. Epunia, seemingly unaware of everything, pointed to the eye on his chest.
“This is the impact left by the Illusionary Cloud in the battle back then. I’ve tried everything to remove it, but I can only visit the temple every now and then to ask the priests for help in suppressing it.”
“If it can be eliminated, I can regain my former strength. I believe you have the capability to confront the Illusionary Cloud. Join you to collectively subdue the Southern Calamity. How about it?”